


Uncle Arthur

by olivemartini



Series: Kit's Explorations of the Institutes, With the Help of Ty [9]
Category: Dark Artifices- Cassandra Clare
Genre: Kitty - Freeform, M/M, Romance, angry uncle arthur, protective kit, scared ty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-11 00:26:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7015141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olivemartini/pseuds/olivemartini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kit had never met Uncle Arthur, but he had gotten the gist of the situation from Ty's uneasiness and Julian's hushed explanations.  And yet, despite all the whispered warnings, he still did not expect to come face to face with  raving lunatic.</p><p>-or-</p><p>The story of how Kit saves Ty from Uncle Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uncle Arthur

**Author's Note:**

> If you're reading this as part of the series, the room they're exploring is Uncle Arthur's attic.

"Have you seen Ty?" 

Kit could no longer keep track of how many times he had asked this question in the past hour.  Whatever the exact number was, it seemed to have reached the amount needed for Julian to finally lose the mask of calm that he always hid behind, just enough for him to heave a heavy sigh and explain that there was nothing for Kit to worry about, that Ty just did this sometimes.  Apparently Ty just got a little overwhelmed sometimes and wanted to be by himself until everything calmed down, to let the world continue to move on around him while he got to sit still.  Kit wanted to argue that this time it was different, that he had seen Ty closed off and distant, but who was he to say he knew his friend better than his own brother?  How could he explain this connection that was between them, how somehow it felt a little strained this time, as if he was not just holed up somewhere trying to stay away but just waiting for someone to find him?  And how could Kit begin to throw it back in Julian's face that over these past few months Kit has not been the one Ty was trying to get away from?

This was the thought process Kit should be focusing on, the one he had thought just a few seconds ago was the right one.  But now there was another voice in his head, the one that sounded like Emma teasing him about his crush on Ty, that reminded him of Livvy's angry glares and Julian's calm reasoning.  After all, everyone needs a break sometimes.  And Kit was awful clingy.  _Maybe he's getting a little sick of you._ The little voice murmured, and Ty felt each syllable like a punch to the stomach.  _You have been awful clingy, you know._

"Right."  Kit's voice cracked the first time, so he cleared his throat and tried again.  "Of course.  But if you see him, can you let him know I was looking for him?"

Julian agreed, his voice a bit too sympathetic and his eyes a little too understanding.  Kit turned on his heel, rushing to get away, trying to stop the churning in his stomach.  Obviously Ty wanted some time to himself.  Obviously Kit has been a little too much for the guy, what with how he practically needs a babysitter.  And yet he couldn't stop thinking that Ty was just out of reach somewhere waiting to be let back in.  (Which was ridiculous, the little voice said again.  You'll cling onto anything just to believe that you're special to him.)

So he didn't give up.  He checked the roof (and would not admit to anyone how much his heart was pounding, how his hands shook, how the image of Ty standing on the ledge hit him once again in full force).  He checked the kitchen (and here came the swarm of memories- the nights Ty brought him down so he could eat without being bombarded with questions, their failed attempt at that birthday cake for Julian).  He checked every bedroom ( _maybe he's avoiding you because you used him as a pillow last night_ ) and every inch of the library ( _would Ty be willing to read to him again?_ ).  And still, nothing.  It wasn't until Livvy came sprinting down the hallway and knocked him to the ground that anyone had any clue where the missing Blackthorn was.  "Livvy?"

"He's... attic...Uncle Arthur is being crazy, won't let him go... didn't have weapon, Ty said to get Julian.... by the angel, Kit, don't just stand there!"  And then she was off, red in the face and panting, but throwing herself down the stairs and out of sight.

Kit didn't waste anytime before he was running up stairs and down hallways, intent on reaching the ladder that led to the attic as fast as he could.  No one had allowed him to meet the famous Uncle Arthur, but the looks on their faces when they talked about him was enough.  Julian had explained in a hushed voice about he's been running the Institute since he had gotten here, about the smashed in windows and bloody hands, about his abuse towards Ty, and why no one can know about his condition, no matter what happens.  They had all claimed he was harmless, but he had also heard the discomfort in Ty's voice whenever he talked about him, the ways his hands twitched and his eyes darted around his room as if his mere name could summon the man to them.  Despite all of this, despite the whispers of warning, when he popped his head into the attic he still wasn't expecting to face a raving lunatic.

"Disgrace!  Shame brought on the family!  Strange, that's what you are, a bad egg!  The first two were from faeries and even they have more shadowhunter blood then you!"  There was a shatter, a thud, and then a pained cry, all accompanied by a slew of insults.  "Told Julian I would sort you out, told him I wouldn't have you here with all of your, your, abnormalities."  Kit turned the corner, just now realizing he hadn't brought anything to fight with, so sure that their Uncle was as harmless as Julian had said that he wouldn't need to fight, only reason.  "You're weak.  You don't have the right to be part of this family."

Ty was cowering up against the wall, eyes on the ground, flinching back with every movement his uncle made towards him.  He was crying, silently, and each tear just seemed to make Arthur angrier.  There were shards of glass and plates at their feet, blood dripping from Uncle Arthur's hand and onto the floor.  He was waving a knife around with a slightly deranged look in his eye.  "Why are you here?  What are you doing here?  This is my institute, damn it!" 

There were footsteps thundering underneath them, but Kit didn't wait.  He just took a step forward, picked up the first relatively damaging thing he found (and it was a fork, because obviously, all great shadowhunters use cutlery as their weapons of choice), and moved in between them.  "I think that's enough, Mr. Blackthorn.  You've said your piece.  now let Kit go."

"Who are you?  His boyfriend?"  And then the man seemed to lose interest in them, turning to his papers instead, waving his arms and flipping through his folders, muttering to himself.  "Should've known, should've known, queer as a three dollar bill, that one is, always something with these ones.  First the faeries, then the one banished and the other on a holiday, then the boy falling in love with his parabatai, and then the freak falling in love with a boy, what could be next?  Should've been born a girl, that one, and a mundane one at that, if he's going to fall in love with the first pretty blonde he sees." 

Beside him, Ty stiffened.  Kit wanted to reassure him it was okay, but his own face was heating up as he remembered the hand holding and the eye contact and the cuddling.  If they were being honest with themselves, this was not the kind of thing two perfectly straight boys did with each other, so they should really stop pretending.  There was no time to dwell on that, though, because Uncle Arthur was turning towards them again, bellowing something about fags and too smart for your own damn good and why can't you look me in the eye, damn it, stop being a coward and fight back.  Kit shoved Ty behind him, fork falling to the wooden floor with a small clatter (and really, there's a perfectly good dagger on the table, why didn't he grab that?), Uncle Arthur advancing.  Ty had a tight grip on his shirt, yelling something, pleading, and Kit was just about to lunge forward to tackle him when Emma burst through, hair all in a tangle and Cortana raised above her head. 

* * *

Kit didn't need to do much, in the end.

Turns out Uncle Arthur, while being completely lost in whatever hallucination he has, still has enough sense of self preservation to drop a knife when there's a sword at his throat.  And once he was tied to the chair, courtesy of Perfect Diego, Julian managed to force feed him some kind of medicine that let him sleep.  All that was left for him to do, really, was grab Ty by the elbow and steer him out into the hallway.

"He didn't mean any of what he said."

"He did."

Kit wasn't looking at anything, just staring at his shoes.  "Fine.  But he didn't realize what he was saying.  He's crazy."

"Just because you're crazy doesn't mean you can't see the truth."  A shrug, then, like he didn't care.  "He's not wrong.  I am a freak."

"No, you aren't.  You aren't a freak.  Or wrong.  Or strange."

"Okay."

Kit sighed, sliding down the wall and dragging Kit down with him.  It was slight de ja vu, considering all the times they had sat like this in the middle of the night.  Only back then, it was Kit comforting Ty.  "You're a lot of things, Tiberius Blackthorn, but there's nothing wrong with any of them."

"And what am I, exactly?  If you know me so well?"

Kit was momentarily speechless, trying to decide which to say.  Crazy smart?  Beautiful?  Everything?  But in the end, he decided to go with the safe answer.  "You're my best friend."

And Ty, who Kit was beginning to fear would never look happy again, smiled. 


End file.
